Ring human-machine interface

ABSTRACT

A ring for identify a gesture is provided. A user wears a ring on a first finger, in which the ring has a first contact region facing a second finger adjacent to the first finger, and a second contact region facing a third finger adjacent to the first finger. The first contact region is configured to detect a touch or proximity input from the second finger, and the second contact region is configured to detect a touch or proximity input from the third finger. Each of the first and second contact regions has one or more touch or proximity sensors. The user moves the first, second, and third fingers relative to each other. In response to a first finger and hand gesture, a touch or proximity input is detected at the first contact region but not at the second contact region. In response to a second finger and hand gesture, a touch or proximity input is detected at the second contact region but not at the first contact region. In response to a third finger and hand gesture, touch or proximity inputs are detected at both the first and second contact regions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Divisional of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 14/274,602, filed on May 9, 2014, which claimspriority to U.S. provisional patent application 61/932,801, filed onJan. 29, 2014, titled “A wearable ring with built-in touch and/orproximity sensor for hand gesture detection,” the contents of which areherein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a ring human-machine interface.

BACKGROUND

Human-machine interfaces enable people to control and interact withmachines. For example, keyboards, mice, and touchpads allow users tointeract with computers. Game controllers allow users to interact withgame consoles. Television remote controls allow users to controltelevisions from a distance. Voice recognition technology allows usersto control machines through voice commands. Some game consoles havecameras that capture images of the users' body movements to enable thegame consoles to determine the users' gestures, and may illuminate theusers with infrared pointers to improve the accuracy of determining thegestures. Some game controllers have accelerometers to determine users'hand movements. Some devices also have electromyography sensors tomeasure the electricity activities of users' muscles to determine handor finger gestures.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, a method of using a ring to identify agesture is provided. The method includes wearing a ring on a firstfinger, in which the ring has a first contact region facing a secondfinger adjacent to the first finger, and a second contact region facinga third finger adjacent to the first finger. The first contact region isconfigured to detect a touch or proximity input from the second finger,and the second contact region is configured to detect a touch orproximity input from the third finger. Each of the first and secondcontact regions has one or more touch or proximity sensors. The methodincludes moving the first, second, and third fingers relative to eachother. The method includes detecting a touch or proximity input at thefirst contact region but not at the second contact region in response toa first finger and hand gesture; detecting a touch or proximity input atthe second contact region but not at the first contact region inresponse to a second finger and hand gesture; and detecting touch orproximity inputs at both the first and second contact regions inresponse to a third finger and hand gesture.

In general, in another aspect, a method of using a ring to identify agesture is provided. The method includes wearing a ring on a finger, inwhich the ring has a first contact region at an edge of the ring todetect a touch or proximity input from a portion of the palm, thecontact region having one or more touch or proximity sensors. The methodincludes moving the finger relative to the palm; detecting a touch orproximity input at the contact region in response to a first finger andhand gesture; and detecting no touch or proximity input at the contactregion in response to a second finger and hand gesture.

In general, in another aspect, a method of using a ring to identify agesture is provided. The method includes wearing a ring on a finger, inwhich the ring has at least a first contact region and a second contactregion, each contact region having one or more touch or proximitysensors. The method includes detecting one or more touch or proximityinputs at one or more of the first and second contact regions inresponse to a finger and hand gesture.

In general, in another aspect, a method of using a ring to identify agesture is provided. The method includes identifying a finger and handgesture based on touch or proximity inputs detected by two or more touchor proximity sensors on a ring worn on a first finger; detecting fingerand/or hand movements; selecting one among several devices based on thefinger and hand gesture; and controlling the selected device based onthe finger and/or hand movements.

In general, in another aspect, an apparatus for human-machine interfaceis provided. The apparatus includes a ring that has two or more touchand/or proximity sensors, each touch and/or proximity sensor configuredto detect touch and/or proximity inputs. The ring has a data processorto process sensed data from the touch and/or proximity sensors; and acommunication unit to wirelessly transmit information about the senseddata or information derived from the sensed data to a receiver.

In general, in another aspect, an apparatus for human-machine interfaceis provided. The apparatus includes a ring that has two or more contactregions, each contact region includes one or more touch and/or proximitysensors configured to detect touch and/or proximity inputs; a dataprocessor to process sensed data from the contact regions; and acommunication unit to wirelessly transmit information about the senseddata or information derived from the sensed data to a receiver.

In general, in another aspect, a system for human-machine interface isprovided. The system includes a ring that has two or more touch and/orproximity sensors, each sensor to detect touch and/or proximity inputs;and a communication unit to wirelessly transmit signals representing theoutputs from the sensors or data derived from the outputs from thesensors. The system includes a controller to receive the signals fromthe ring and identify a finger gesture based on the received signals.

In general, in another aspect, an apparatus for human-machine interfaceis provided. The apparatus includes a controller to receive signals froma ring and identify a finger gesture based on the received signals. Thecontroller has a storage storing information about a mapping betweenfinger gestures and devices, in which different finger gestures areassociated with different devices. The controller is configured togenerate control signals for controlling a device associated with thehand gesture identified based on the received signals.

In general, in another aspect, an apparatus for human-machine interfaceis provided. The apparatus includes a controller to receive signals froma ring, the signals indicating a touch or proximity input or acombination of touch and/or proximity inputs detected by sensors on thering; and a table having information about a mapping between a touch orproximity input or a combination of touch and/or proximity inputs andsets of keys, in which different hand gestures are associated withdifferent sets of keys.

Other aspects include other combinations of the features recited aboveand other features, expressed as methods, apparatus, systems, programproducts, and in other ways.

Advantages of the aspects and implementations may include one or more ofthe following. The ring can be used to detect finger gestures so thatthe user can interact with electronic devices using intuitive and simplehand and finger gestures. By using different finger gestures, the sameoverall hand movement can be used to generate different commands, suchas draw different characters or control different devices. The ring issmall and light weight, so the user can carry the ring effortlessly anduse it all day wherever the user goes. By using the ring, the user cancontrol electronic devices without the need to hold or grab acontroller. Because users are intimately familiar with their own handsand fingers, they can move their hands and fingers in various movementsand gestures without looking and the hands and fingers. Such hand andfingers gestures are useful for, e.g., virtual reality or augmentedreality applications in which the users need to issue commands tointeract with the virtual or augmented reality environments while notbeing able to see their hands and fingers clearly. Hand and fingergestures are useful for interfacing with wearable head-mounted displayto allow the users to focus on viewing the ambient environment and thecontents of the displays without the need to look at which keys orbuttons the fingers are pressing. Using the ring, commands can begenerated discretely by subtle movements of the hands and fingers.

The details of one or more implementations of the ring interface are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an environment for using an exemplary ring tointeract with electronic devices.

FIGS. 2A to 4 show diagrams of an exemplary ring having sensors andcontrollers.

FIG. 5A shows a diagram of an environment for using an exemplary ring tointeract with an external controller for interacting with electronicdevices.

FIG. 5B shows a diagram of an exemplary ring interacting with electronicdevices.

FIGS. 5C and 5D show diagrams of an exemplary ring having contactregions.

FIGS. 6A to 26D show photographs of exemplary finger and hand gesturesand diagrams of the contact regions of the ring that are triggered.

FIGS. 27A to 30C show photographs of exemplary finger and hand gestureswith the ring worn on various fingers.

FIGS. 31 to 34 show photographs of exemplary finger and hand gesturesfor selecting sets of keys and diagrams for the corresponding keys.

FIGS. 35 to 36 show photographs of examples of different gesturesassociated with different keys.

FIGS. 37A to 41B show examples of gestures that use a trackpad region ona ring.

FIG. 42 shows examples of associating different gestures with differentdevices.

FIG. 43 shows a block diagram of an exemplary ring that can detectfinger gestures.

FIG. 44A to 45B are photographs of exemplary finger and hand gestures.

FIGS. 46-48 are flow diagrams of exemplary processes for identifyingfinger and hand gestures.

FIG. 49 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process for controllingdevices.

FIG. 50 is a diagram of an exemplary ring battery charger.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure provides a description of a novel ring control devicethat functions as a human-machine interface. Referring to FIG. 1, insome implementations, a user wears a ring 100 that has built-in motionand touch or proximity sensors to detect both finger and hand gesturecommands by sensing the relative locations of the fingers, the fingers'movements, and the hand movements. This disclosure provides a simple,natural, and flexible way to detect the finger and hand gestures thatcan represent a variety of useful commands. For example, the ring 100can be used to provide commands to or interact with various devices,including a television 102, a game console 104, a light controller 106,and many other devices that have built-in data processors and/ormicrocontrollers (e.g., thermostats, TV set top boxes, audio equipment,video equipment, musical instruments, smart phones, desktop computers,laptop computers, tablet computers, or projectors). The ring 100 can beused to provide commands to a controller 108 of a wearable head-mounteddisplay, which can be a virtual reality device or augmented realitydevice (e.g., eyeglasses, goggles, or helmets that have built-indisplays and data processors and/or microcontrollers). The ring 100 canalso be used to assist in machine recognition of sign languages. Morethan one ring can be worn on the user's fingers, either on one hand orboth hands, for detecting both finger and hand gestures and movements.The ring 100 provides a portable, simple, and natural human-machineinterface that has many applications.

Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2C, in some implementations, the ring 100 hasring-shaped body 140 that defines an opening to allow the ring 100 tofit over a user's finger. The ring 100 has a ring head 142 thataccommodates electronic components. The ring 100 has an inner ringsurface 112 and an outer ring surface 114. The inner ring surface 112can be made of a material that is comfortable to the finger, such asmetal or plastic. The entire outer ring surface 114 or portions of theouter ring surface 114 are touch and/or proximity sensitive and canreceive touch and/or proximity inputs from the user. The touch/proximitysensitive surface can be implemented by one or more touch/proximitysensors. In the example shown in FIG. 2C, two touch/proximity sensors116 and 118 are used. The touch/proximity sensor 116 wraps around alower portion of the outer ring surface 114, as well as edges 120, 122of the ring 100. The touch/proximity sensor 118 covers the outer surfaceof the ring head. Each of the sensors 116 and 118 has several sensingpoints, and each sensing point can individually detect a touch orproximity input. For example, the sensing points can be arranged in anarray having a resolution of, e.g., 10 to 100 sensing points per inch. Ahigh density of sensing points allows the ring 100 to be sensitive tosmall movements or light touch inputs from the fingers.

The term “touch/proximity sensor” refers generally to a sensor that issensitive to touch input, proximity input, or both. The term“touch/proximity sensitive surface” refers generally to a surface thatis sensitive to touch input, proximity input, or both. The term“touch/proximity input” refers generally to either a touch input or aproximity input. The touch/proximity sensitive surface 114 can beimplemented using various technologies, such as capacitive touch andproximity sensors, inductive proximity sensors, or resistive touchsensors, for enabling detection of object presence, object distance,object orientation, and/or object contact. A resistive touch sensorrequires a physical touch to generate a signal, whereas a proximitysensor, such as a capacitive proximity sensor or inductive proximitysensor, does not need a physical touch to generate a signal. Thedistance of between the ring and its surrounding objects can becalculated based on changes in capacitance or inductance.

In some implementations, the touch/proximity sensitive surface 114 hasmany sensor points so that it is possible to determine which portions ofthe ring surface is being touched or in proximity to another finger orpalm. The touch/proximity sensitive surface 114 can function as a smalltrackpad that tracks a movement of a finger across the surface. Thetouch/proximity sensitive surface 114 can also be divided into regionssuch that touch/proximity inputs to different regions or differentcombinations of regions can represent different commands.

For example, the touch/proximity sensitive surface 114 can be dividedinto a first section 124, a second section 126, a third section 128, anda top section 130 that detect touch or proximity inputs from fingers orhand palm at different regions on the ring surface 114. The touch orproximity sensitive surface 114 can also be divided into a larger orsmaller number of sections to detect touch or proximity inputs at moreor less regions on the ring surface.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, in some implementations, the touch orproximity sensitive surface 114 of the ring 100 can be embedded withadditional sensors 132, 134, 136, which can be point light proximitysensors (e.g., laser range sensors), infrared sensors, or ambient lightsensors, that can detect object presence, object distance, and/or objecttouch. The laser range sensor, infrared proximity sensor, or ambientlight proximity sensor does not need a physical touch to generate asignal. The distance of between the ring and its surrounding objectivescan be calculated based on changes in the reflectance of infrared orambient light, or based on time of flight, e.g., by emitting a lightpulse, detecting a reflected pulse, and determining the amount of timebetween emitting the light pulse and detecting the reflected pulse.

Referring to FIG. 3C, the ring head 142 can be worn either facing anupward direction or a downward direction when the ring 100 is worn on auser's finger with the palm facing downwards. In the examples describedin FIGS. 6A to 42, the ring head 142 faces the upward direction when thering 100 is worn on the user's finger with the palm facing downwards.The ring head 142 can have embedded status indicators 144, which can be,e.g., small LED lights that provide status information. The statusindicators may provide various types of information by showing variouscolors, blink at various rates, or blink at various duty cycles.

In some implementations, the ring head 142 can have one or more embeddedmicrophones 146 to receive voice commands from the user.

Referring to FIG. 4, in some implementations, the ring 100 includes agenerally ring-shaped housing 150 that encloses a printed circuit 152and a battery 154. The ring 100 has a ring head 142 for accommodatingvarious components. The printed circuit 152 can be a flexible printedcircuit that bends according to the curvature of the ring 100. Variouscomponents can be mounted on the printed circuit 152, such as a centralmicrocontroller 156, a touch or proximity controller 158, a radiofrequency controller 160, a charger or power controller 162, one or moreintegrated accelerometers, gyrometers, magnetometers 164, and one ormore other small components 166. Two or more of the above components canbe integrated on a chip. The battery 154 can have a ring shape thatgenerally conforms to the interior of the ring-shaped housing 150.Additional controller chips and memory chips can be placed in theinterior of the ring-shaped housing 150.

The touch or proximity controller 158 receives signals from the touch orproximity sensors to detect touch or proximity inputs. The radiofrequency controller 160 applies radio frequency modulation andtransmits/receives radio frequency modulated signals. The centralmicrocontroller 156 processes the input signals and generates outputsignals indicating what inputs have been detected, and the outputsignals are transmitted to an external controller through the radiofrequency controller 160. For example, the radio frequency controller160 may comply with Bluetooth protocol and send Bluetooth signals to theexternal controller. The external controller may be a controller of thedevice being controlled. For example, the radio frequency controller 160may communicate with a controller of a television to enable the user tocontrol the television. The central microcontroller 156 may receivefirmware update through the radio frequency controller 160 and updatethe firmware of one or more components of the ring system.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in some implementations, the external controllermay be a portable device 174 of the user, such as a mobile phone, atablet computer, or a laptop computer, which in turn communicates withthe controller of the device to be controlled. For example, the ring 100may send signals to a mobile phone, and the mobile phone may process thesignals and send commands to a controller of a television to enable theuser to control the television. For example, the ring 100 may sendsignals to a remote control of a television, and the remote control maytransmit commands (e.g., using infrared or radio frequency signals) tothe television.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in some implementations, the ring 100 cancommunicate directly with devices 180 that accept Bluetooth signals (orother types of signals generated by the ring 100). For other devicesthat do not receive Bluetooth signals, a converter can be used toconvert the Bluetooth signals to a format that can be accepted by thedevice. For example, in order for the ring 100 to communicate withdevices 182 that accept infrared signals, a converter 184 can be used toconvert the Bluetooth signals received from the ring 100 to infraredsignals and transmit the infrared signals to the devices 182.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the charger or power controller 162 managesthe charging of the battery 154 and performs power management to prolongbattery life. The ring 100 can be placed on a charger (not shown in thefigure) to charge the battery 154. The central microcontroller 156manages the operations of the touch or proximity controller 158, theradio frequency controller 160, and the charger or power controller 162.For example, the microcontroller 156 can be an ARM-based microcontrolleror x86 based microcontroller.

A feature of the ring 100 is that it has touch or proximity sensors todetect touch or proximity inputs at various portions of the ringsurface. FIG. 2C shows an example that uses two touch/proximity sensors116 and 118 that function as trackpads. FIG. 4 shows portions of thesensor 116, including sensor portions 168, 170, and 180. The sensorportions 168 and 172 are useful to detect touch or proximity inputs fromfingers that are adjacent to the finger on which the ring 100 is worn.For example, if the ring 100 is worn on the right middle finger with themiddle finger pointing into the figure and the palm facing down, thesensor portion 168 can detect inputs from the index finger, the sensorportion 172 can detect touch or proximity inputs from the ring finger,and the sensor portion 170 can detect touch or proximity inputs from thethumb. Note that the ring 100 when properly sized can also be worn onthe thumb, the index finger, the ring finger, or the little finger.

The touch/proximity sensitive surface 114 of the ring 100 can detecttouch or proximity inputs at different locations along a width of thering 100, i.e., along the edges 120, 122 of the ring 100. Referring toFIG. 5C, the touch/proximity sensor 116 may be sensitive to touch orproximity inputs at a central region 190 along the width of the ring100, a first edge 192 of the ring 100 closer to the palm, and a secondedge 194 of the ring 100 closer to the tip of the finger. In FIG. 5C,the ring 100 is shown in an orientation in which the palm is to theright of the ring and the fingertip is to the left of the ring. Thetouch/proximity sensor 116 may be sensitive to touch or proximity inputsat regions 196 and 198 that can detect touch/proximity inputs fromadjacent fingers. For example, if the ring 100 is worn on the middlefinger, the region 196 can detect touch/proximity inputs from the indexfinger, and the region 198 can detect touch/proximity inputs from thering finger.

The regions 190, 192, 194, 196, and 198 can have different distancethresholds for proximity inputs. For example, the range of distancesbetween the index and middle fingers, and between middle and ringringers, is relatively small, so the distance threshold for regions 196and 198 is set such that the finger has to touch or be very close to theregion 196 or 198 in order to trigger the touch/proximity sensor. Therange of distances between a portion of the palm and the region 192 isalso small, so the distance threshold for region 192 is set such thatthe portion of the palm has to touch or be very close to the region 192in order to trigger the touch/proximity sensor. The region 190 detectsinputs from the thumb, and the range of distances between the region 190and the thumb is relatively large, so the distance threshold for region190 is set such that the thumb can trigger the touch/proximity sensor ata slightly larger distance compared to the distance needed to triggerthe touch/proximity sensors at regions 192, 196, 198.

Referring to FIG. 5D, the touch/proximity sensor 116 can detect touch orproximity inputs at a region 200 at the edge 120 of the ring 100 closerto the fingertip and closer to the ring head 142. The region 200 isuseful in detecting, e.g., a finger gesture in which the index fingercrosses over the middle finger so that the index finger triggers bothregions 196 and 200. Here, “triggering a region” means triggering thetouch/proximity sensors at the region. The touch/proximity sensor 118has a region 202 that is sensitive to touch or proximity inputs on thering head 142.

The following describes several examples of using the ring 100 to detectfinger and hand gestures. The user can provide various finger gesturesby, e.g., spreading apart fingers, pressing the fingers against eachother, curling in the fingers, tilting the fingers, crossing thefingers, or contacting the tips of the thumb and the other fingers. Inthe examples shown in FIGS. 6A to 26C, the user wears the ring on themiddle finger of the right hand, and the entire outer ring surface istouch or proximity sensitive. For example, the outer ring surface can beimplemented as a trackpad surface that supports multi-touch withmultiple built-in capacitive sensors. The user can also wear the ring onother fingers, or on the left hand.

The ring 100 can be used in many fields, e.g., home automation, remotehome appliance control, gaming, health, virtual reality, sign gesture,and human computer interaction. For example, the ring's accelerometercan serve as a pedometer to measure how many steps the user has beenwalking, how active the user's movements are, and how many calories theuser has burned. The ring 100 can track the user's activities duringnight time to enable the user to keep track of sleeping patterns. Thering 100 can track the user's activities during working hours andprovide useful reminders. For example, the ring 100 can track the typingmovements of the fingers and remind the user to get up for some exercisewhen the user has been using the computer non-stop for a long period oftime. These features can improve the user's awareness of the user'sactivities, sleep routine, and working pattern, and help the user reducefatigue and ergonomic risks, and to develop healthier habits. The ring100 is small and lightweight, and can be worn wherever the user goes.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in some examples, the ring 100 can detecta finger and hand gesture in which the ring 100 is worn on the middlefinger 210. The index finger 212 can touch the contact region 196 totrigger the touch/proximity sensors at the contact region 196. The ringfinger 214 can touch the contact region 198 to trigger thetouch/proximity sensors at the contact region 198. In the descriptionbelow, triggering a contact region means that the touch or proximitysensors at the contact region is triggered by a touch or proximityinput. By sensing touch inputs at the contact regions 196 and 198, thering 100 can determine that the hand is in an open palm gesture with theindex finger, middle finger, and ring finger contacting each other.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture in which the index finger 212 is pressed against the middlefinger 210, and the middle and ring fingers are spread apart, such thatthe index finger 212 contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 196 butthe ring finger 214 does not contact the ring 100. In this example, thetouch or proximity sensors at the contact region 196 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture in which the user spreads apart the middle and index fingers210, 212, and the ring finger 214 is pressed against the middle finger210, such that the ring finger 214 contacts the ring 100 at the contactregion 198 but the index finger 212 does not contact the ring 100. Inthis example, the touch or proximity sensors at the contact region 198are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture in which the user spreads apart the index, middle, and ringfingers 212, 210, 214 such that the touch or proximity sensors are nottriggered.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the index finger is pressed against the middlefinger and the tip of the thumb contacts the tip of the middle finger.The index and middle fingers are pressed against each other so the indexfinger touches the ring 100 at the contact region 196. The middle andring fingers are spread apart so that the ring finger does not contactthe ring 100. Because the middle finger curls inward, a portion of thepalm 220 contacts the ring 100 near the edge of the ring at the contactregion 192. In this example, the touch or proximity sensors at thecontact regions 192 and 196 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 11A to 11C, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture in which the tip of the middle finger contacts the tip of thethumb. Because the middle finger tilts inward, a portion of the palm 220contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 192. The index and middlefingers are spread apart so that the index finger does not contact thering 100. The middle and ring fingers are spread apart so that the ringfinger does not contact the ring 100. In this example, the touch orproximity sensors at the contact region 192 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the tip of the middle finger contacts the tip ofthe thumb so that a portion of the palm contacts the ring 100 at thecontact region 192. The index and middle fingers are spread apart sothat the index finger does not contact the ring 100. The ring fingerpresses against the middle finger so that the ring finger contacts thering 100 at the contact region 198. In this example, the touch orproximity sensors at the contact regions 192 and 198 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the tip of the middle finger contacts the tip ofthe thumb so that a portion of the palm 220 contacts the ring 100 at thecontact region 192. The index, middle, and ring fingers are pressedagainst each other so that the index finger contacts the ring 100 at thecontact region 196 and the ring finger contacts the ring 100 at thecontact region 198. In this example, the touch or proximity sensors atthe contact regions 192, 196, and 198 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the middle finger is curled inwards to causeportions of the palm to contact the ring 100 at the contact regions 190and 192. The index and middle fingers are spread apart so that the indexfinger does not contact the ring 100. The ring finger also curls inwardsand presses against the middle finger such that the ring finger contactsthe ring 100 at the contact region 198. In this example, the touch orproximity sensors at the contact regions 190, 192, and 198 aretriggered.

Referring to FIGS. 15A and 15B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the middle finger tilts inward so that a portionof the palm contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 192. The thumbreaches over to touch the ring 100 at the contact region 190. The index,middle, and ring fingers are spread apart so that neither the indexfinger nor the ring finger contacts the ring 100. In this example, thetouch or proximity sensors at the contact regions 190 and 192 aretriggered.

Referring to FIGS. 16A and 16B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the middle finger tilts inward so that a portionof the palm contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 192. The thumbreaches over to touch the ring 100 at the contact region 190. The indexand middle fingers are pressed against each other so that the indexfinger contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 196. The middle andring fingers are spread apart so that the ring finger does not contactthe ring 100. In this example, the touch or proximity sensors at thecontact regions 190, 192, and 196 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 17A and 17B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the middle finger tilts inward so that a portionof the palm contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 192. The thumbreaches over to touch the ring 100 at the contact region 190. The indexand middle fingers are pressed against each other so that the indexfinger contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 196. The middle andring fingers are pressed against each other so that the ring fingercontacts the ring 100 at the contact region 198. In this example, thetouch or proximity sensors at the contact regions 190, 192, 196, and 198are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the index finger crosses over the top of themiddle finger so that the index finger touches the ring 100 at thecontact regions 196 and 200. The middle and ring fingers are spreadapart so that the ring finger does not contact the ring 100. In thisexample, the touch or proximity sensors at the contact regions 196 and200 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 19A and 19B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the index finger crosses over the top of themiddle finger so that the index finger touches the ring 100 at thecontact regions 196 and 200. The middle finger tilts inward so that aportion of the palm contacts the ring 100 at the contact region 192. Thethumb reaches over to touch the ring 100 at the contact region 190. Themiddle and ring fingers are spread apart so that the ring finger doesnot contact the ring 100. In this example, the touch or proximitysensors at the contact regions 190, 192, 196, and 200 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 20A to 20C, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture that involves both hands. Here, the index and middle fingers ofthe right hand press against each other so that the index finger touchesthe ring 100 at the contact region 196. The ring finger and the littlefinger of the right hand are curled inwards so that the ring finger doesnot touch the ring 100. The thumb and index (or middle) finger of theleft hand hold the ring 100 so that the thumb of the left hand touchesthe ring 100 at the contact regions 190 and 192, and the index (ormiddle) finger of the left hand touches the ring 100 at the contactregion 202. In this example, the touch or proximity sensors at thecontact regions 190, 192, 196, and 202 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 21A to 21C, the ring 100 can detect a finger and handgesture that involves both hands in which the index, middle, and ringfingers of the right hand press against each other so that the indexfinger touches the ring 100 at the contact region 196 and the ringfinger touches the ring 100 at the contact region 198. The index (ormiddle) finger of the left hand touches the ring 100 at the contactregion 202. In this example, the touch or proximity sensors at thecontact regions 196, 198, and 202 are triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 22A and 22B, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture that involves both hands in which the index and middlefingers of the right hand press against each other so that the indexfinger touches the ring 100 at the contact region 196. The ring fingerand the little finger of the right hand are curled inward so that thering finger does not touch the ring 100. The index (or middle) finger ofthe left hand touches the ring 100 at the contact region 202. In thisexample, the touch or proximity sensors at the contact regions 196 and202 are triggered.

Sometimes, more than one finger/hand gesture can cause the same contactregion(s) to be triggered.

Referring to FIGS. 23A and 23C, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the index, middle, and ring fingers press againsteach other so that the index finger touches the ring 100 at the contactregion 196 and the ring finger touches the ring 100 at the contactregion 198. The index, middle, and ring fingers tilt inward so that aportion of the palm touches the ring 100 at the contact region 192. Thethumb touches the ring 100 at the contact region 190. In this example,the touch or proximity sensors at the contact regions 190, 192, 196, and198 are triggered. The gesture in FIG. 23A is the same as the gesture inFIG. 17A and is repeated here for ease of comparison with the gesture inFIG. 23B.

Referring to FIG. 23B, the touch or proximity sensors at the contactregions 190, 192, 196, and 198 can also be triggered by a finger andhand gesture in which the fingers are curled into a first shape so thatthe fingers touch the contact regions 190, 192, 196, and 198.

If the touch/proximity surface 116 of the ring 100 is divided into morecontact regions (and each contact region has one or more independenttouch/proximity sensors), or the user wears more than one ring on onehand so that there are additional signals, it is possible todifferentiate between the gestures in FIGS. 23A and 23B. For example,referring to FIG. 23D, touch/proximity sensors at contact regions 230and 232 may be used to differentiate between the gestures in FIGS. 23Aand 23B. In the gesture of FIG. 23A, the touch/proximity sensors at thecontact regions 230 and 232 are not triggered. In the gesture of FIG.23B, the touch/proximity sensors at the contact regions 230 and 232 aretriggered.

Referring to FIGS. 24A and 24C, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which the tip of the thumb touches the tip of the middlefinger so that a portion of the palm touches the ring 100 at the contactregion 192. The index, middle, and ring fingers are spread apart so thatneither the index finger nor the ring finger touches the ring 100. Inthis example, the touch or proximity sensor at the contact region 192 istriggered. The gesture of FIG. 24A is the same as that shown in FIGS.11A and 11B and is repeated here for ease of comparison with the gesturein FIG. 24B.

Referring to FIG. 24B, the touch or proximity sensors at the contactregion 192 can also be triggered by a finger and hand gesture in whichthe fingers are spread apart and also slightly curled inward so that aportion of the palm contacts the ring at the contact region 192 but theindex and ring fingers do not touch the ring 100.

If the touch/proximity surface 116 of the ring 100 is divided into morecontact regions (and each contact region has one or more independenttouch/proximity sensors), or the user wears more than one ring on onehand so that there are additional signals, it is possible todifferentiate between the gestures in FIGS. 24A and 24B.

Referring to FIGS. 25A and 25C, the ring 100 can detect a finger andhand gesture in which only the touch/proximity sensors at the contactregion 196 is triggered. This can be achieved by keeping the index andmiddle fingers pointing straight while curling the little and ringfingers and using the thumb to hold the little and ring fingers in thecurled position. The index finger is pressed against the middle fingerso that the index finger contacts the ring 100 at the contact region196.

Referring to FIG. 25B, the touch/proximity sensors at the contact region196 can also be triggered by a finger and hand gesture in which theindex and middle fingers are extended straight, and the index fingerpresses against the middle finger so that the index finger contacts thering at the contact region 196. The little and ring fingers are extendedstraight, and the ring finger is spread apart from the middle finger sothat the ring finger does not contact the ring 100. The little and ringfingers can either be separated apart or pressed together. The gestureof FIG. 25B is the same as that shown in FIG. 7A and is repeated herefor ease of comparison with the gesture in FIG. 25A.

If the touch/proximity surface 116 of the ring 100 is divided into morecontact regions (and each contact region has one or more independenttouch/proximity sensors, or if the user wears more than one ring on onehand so that there are additional signals, it is possible todifferentiate between the gestures in FIGS. 25A and 25B.

Referring to FIGS. 26A, 26C, and 26D, the ring 100 can detect a fingerand hand gesture in which the touch/proximity sensors at contact regions190, 192, and 198 are triggered. This can be achieved by pointing theindex finger straight while curling the middle, little, and ring fingersinward. The thumb can either press against the middle finger, as shownin FIG. 26A, or spread apart from the middle finger, as shown in FIG.26C. The index finger does not contact the ring 100. The ring finger ispressed against the middle finger so that the ring finger touches thering 100 at the contact region 198. Because the middle finger is curledinward, portions of the palm contact the ring 100 at the contact regions190 and 192. The gesture of FIG. 26A is the same as that shown in FIG.14A and is repeated here for ease of comparison with the gesture inFIGS. 26B and 26C.

Referring to FIG. 26B, the touch or proximity sensors at the contactregions 190, 192, and 198 can also be triggered by a finger and handgesture in which the index, middle, little, and ring fingers areextended straight, and the index finger is spread apart from the middlefinger so that the index finger does not contact the ring 100. The ringfinger presses against the middle finger so that the ring fingercontacts the ring 100 at the contact region 198. The middle finger istilted inward so that a portion of the palm contacts the ring 100 at thecontact region 192. The thumb touches the ring 100 at the contact region190.

If the touch/proximity surface 116 of the ring 100 is divided into morecontact regions (and each contact region has one or more independenttouch/proximity sensors), or the user wears more than one ring on onehand so that there are additional signals, it is possible todifferentiate between the gestures in FIGS. 26A and 26B.

Referring to FIGS. 27A to 27D, in some examples, the ring 100 can beworn on the ring finger 214. The ring 100 can detect a number of fingerand hand gestures based on whether the middle finger contacts the ring100, whether the little finger contacts the ring 100, and whether aportion of the palm contacts the ring 100.

Referring to FIGS. 28A to 28E, in some examples, the ring 100 can beworn on the index finger 211. The ring 100 can detect a number of fingerand hand gestures based on whether the thumb contacts the ring 100,whether the middle finger contacts the ring 100, whether a portion ofthe palm or thumb contacts the ring 100.

Referring to FIGS. 29A to 29C, in some examples, the ring 100 can beworn on the little finger 240. The ring 100 can detect a number offinger and hand gestures based on whether the ring finger contacts thering 100 and whether a portion of the palm or other fingers contact thering 100.

Referring to FIGS. 30A to 30C, in some examples, the ring 100 can beworn on the thumb 250. The ring 100 can detect a number of finger andhand gestures based on whether the index finger contacts the ring 100and whether a portion of the palm contacts the ring 100.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 6A to 30C, the ring 100 was worn on oneof the fingers of the right hand. In some examples, the ring can be wornon the left hand. Additional gestures not shown in the figures are alsopossible. With built-in touch or proximity sensors, the disclosureprovides a method for detecting detailed finger and hand gesturesbecause one ring can detect the relative locations and orientations ofat least three fingers. By integrating built-in accelerometers,gyrometers, and magnetometers, the ring 100 can enable a greater varietyof commands compared to just detecting hand or arm movements. To switchbetween different devices controlled by the ring 100, the user onlyneeds to change finger gesture. For example, the user can control thetelevision audio volume by using a hand and finger gesture in which onefinger is pointing out, and waving the hand up and down. The user cancontrol the light system to make it brighter or dimmer by switching toanother hand and finger gesture in which two fingers are pointing out,and using the same hand waving up and down movements. The user cancontrol a fan to increase or decrease the fan speed by switching to athird hand and finger gesture in which three fingers are pointing out,and use the same hand waving up and down movements.

In some examples, rings can be worn on the fingers of both hands. Insome examples, rings can be worn on multiple fingers of the same hand.In some examples, both hands can have multiple rings.

In some implementations, the user can wave the hand and draw in the air.The ring 100 has built in accelerometer(s), magnetometer(s) andgyrometer(s) to detect the movements of the hand. As the user draws inthe air, the ring 100 detects a trace of the hand movements and sendsthe detected movements to the ring's central controller. The controllerrecognizes the alphabet characters, numbers, special characters, orsymbols drawn by the user based on the trace. The controller can also bepart of the portable device 174 of FIG. 5A.

An advantage of the ring 100 is that by using different finger gestureswhile drawing in the air, the user can generate different commands orselect different characters with similar hand movements. For example,when the user draws in the air the shape of the character ‘O,’ it may beunclear whether the user is drawing a capital letter ‘O’, a small letter‘o’, or a number ‘0.’ Different finger gestures can be associated withdifferent sets of keys. This way, it is possible to differentiatesimilar or same drawing movements by determining what finger gesture isused to perform the drawing.

FIGS. 31 to 34 illustrate an example of using the ring 120 to detectfinger and hand gestures to improve the accuracy of characterrecognition when the user draws in air.

Referring to FIG. 31, a finger gesture 260 can be associated with a setof keys 262. When the user draws in the air with the fingers orientedaccording to the gesture 260, the controller receiving the hand movementsignals from the ring 100 will interpret the movements according to theset of keys 262.

Referring to FIG. 32, a finger gesture 270 can be associated with a setof keys 272. When the user draws in the air with the fingers orientedaccording to the gesture 270, the controller receiving the hand movementsignals from the ring 100 will interpret the movements according to theset of keys 272.

Referring to FIG. 33, a finger gesture 280 can be associated with a setof keys 282. When the user draws in the air with the fingers orientedaccording to the gesture 280, the controller receiving the hand movementsignals from the ring 100 will interpret the movements based on the setof keys 282.

Referring to FIG. 34, a finger gesture 290 can be associated with a setof keys 292. When the user draws in the air with the fingers orientedaccording to the gesture 290, the controller receiving the hand movementsignals from the ring 100 will interpret the movements based on the setof keys 292.

Referring to FIG. 35, in some examples, the controller can associate thefinger gestures 260, 270, 280, and 290 with different sets of keys. Whenthe user draws a circle or an oval in the air, the controller willinterpret the hand movement depending on which finger gesture is usedwhen the drawing is performed. For example, if the user applies thefinger gesture 260 while drawing an oval, the controller interprets thehand movement as drawing a small letter ‘o’ 300. Similarly, if the userapplies the finger gesture 270, 280, or 290 while drawing the oval, thecontroller interprets the hand movement as drawing a number ‘0’ 302, asymbol ‘@’ 304, or an emoticon 306, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 36, when the user draws a vertical line segment in theair, the controller will interpret the hand movement depending on whichfinger gesture is used when the drawing is performed. For example, ifthe user applies the finger gesture 260 while drawing the vertical linesegment, the controller interprets the hand movement as drawing a smallletter T 310. Similarly, if the user applies the finger gesture 270,280, or 290 while drawing the vertical line segment, the controllerinterprets the hand movement as drawing a number ‘1’ 312, a symbol ‘|’314, or an emoticon 316, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 37A and 37B, in some implementations, a portion ofthe touch/proximity sensor 116 is used as a small trackpad that tracksfinger movements across the surface of the trackpad. The trackpad candetect different fingertip movements, for example, left to rightmovement, right to left movement, top to bottom movement, bottom to topmovement, circular clockwise movement, circular counterclockwisemovement, tap, double taps, and triple taps, etc.

Here, when the ring is worn on the middle finger, the left to rightmovement refers to a movement in a direction from the ring fingertowards the index finger, and the right to left movement refers to amovement in a direction from the index finger toward the ring finger.The up to down movement refers to a movement in a direction from thefingertip towards the palm, and the down to up movement refers to amovement in a direction from the palm towards the fingertip.

The small trackpad can also have multi-touch capability to detect two ormore touch or proximity inputs or movements. The trackpad can be used incombination with other touch or proximity sensors of the ring so thatthe same movement on the trackpad can be interpreted differently fordifferent finger and hand gestures that trigger different touch orproximity sensors on the ring.

In the example of FIG. 37B, a portion 320 of the touch/proximity surface116 functions as a trackpad. The other contact regions 196 and 198 ofthe touch/proximity surface 116 detect touch/proximity inputs from theindex and ring fingers. In the example of FIG. 37A, the user applies afinger gesture in which the index and ring fingers do not contact thering 100 so that the index and ring fingers do not activate touch orproximity sensors. The thumb can move freely on the trackpad area 320.

Referring to FIGS. 38A and 38B, the user may apply a finger gesture inwhich the index finger is pressed against the middle finger so that theindex finger contacts the ring 100 to activate the touch/proximitysensors of the contact region 196. The ring finger does not contact thering 100 so that the ring finger does not activate touch/proximitysensors. The thumb can move on the trackpad area 320, which can detectwhether the thumb is, e.g., swiping up, down, left, or right.

Referring to FIGS. 39A and 39B, the user may apply a finger gesture inwhich the index and ring fingers are pressed against the middle fingerso that the index and ring fingers contact the ring 100 to activate thetouch/proximity sensors of the contact regions 196 and 198. The thumbcan move freely on the trackpad area 320.

Referring to FIGS. 40A and 40B, the user may apply a finger gesture inwhich the ring finger is pressed against the middle finger so that thering finger contacts the ring 100 to activate the touch/proximitysensors of the contact region 198. The index finger does not contact thering 100 so that the index finger does not activate touch/proximitysensors. The thumb can move freely on the trackpad area 320.

Referring to FIGS. 41A and 41B, the user may apply a finger and handgesture in which the index finger is pressed against the middle fingerso that the index finger contacts the ring 100 to activate thetouch/proximity sensors of the contact region 196. The little and ringfingers are curled inward so that the ring finger does not activate atouch or proximity sensor. The ring 100 is worn on the right hand, andthe thumb on the left hand can move freely across the trackpad area 320.

For example, the same left to right swipe movement on the trackpad area320 may be interpreted differently depending on whether the finger andhand gesture shown in FIG. 37A, 38A, 39A, 40A, or 41A is applied.Additional combinations of trackpad movements and finger and handgestures can be used.

The following describes examples of using the ring 100 to detect fingerand hand gestures to control devices in a home.

Use Case 1

Referring to FIG. 42, in some implementations, different finger gesturescan be associated with different devices to allow the same hand movementto control different devices. For example, the user can apply a fingergesture 330 so that subsequent hand movements are interpreted ascommands for controlling a bed room television. Similarly, fingergestures 332, 334, 336, 338, and 340 can be associated with a familyroom television, a family room sound system, a room fan, a room light,and a curtain, respectively. The user can apply the finger gesture 332,334, 336, 338, or 340, so that subsequent hand movements are interpretedas commands for controlling the family room television, the family roomsound system, the room fan, the room light, or the curtain,respectively. Assignment of finger gestures to devices can be differentfrom the above. An advantage of using the ring 100 is that the user cancontrol multiple devices without using multiple remote controls andswitching control between different devices only need to switch betweendifferent finger gestures

Use Case 2

In some implementations, while applying a finger gesture, different handmovements can be used to indicate different commands. For example,assume that the user applies the finger gesture 330 to indicate that thehand movements should be interpreted as commands for controlling the bedroom television. While maintaining the finger gesture, the user canswing the hand up or down to increase or decrease, respectively, thetelevision audio volume. The user can swing the hand left or right todecrease or increase, respectively, the channel number. If the userwants to jump to a different channel, the user can apply a fingergesture and movement to bring up a numeric keypad, and then draw in theair to indicate the channel number. For example, the user can draw 234in the air indicate channel 234.

Use Case 3

In some implementations, touch or proximity inputs on the trackpad 320can be used in combination with finger gestures. For example, to controla television, the user can apply one of the gestures (e.g., a gestureshown in FIGS. 37A to 41A) and swipe a fingertip on the ring trackpad320 up or down to increase or decrease, respectively, the volume. Theuser can swipe the fingertip left or right to decrease or increase,respectively, the channel number. To jump to a different channel, theuser can apply a finger gesture and movement to bring up the numerickeypad, then draw in the air the channel number. For example, the usercan draw 234 in the air indicate channel 234.

Use Case 4

The ring control device can facilitate recognition of hand sign languageby a machine. For example, the user can wear two rings on each hand. Theuser can “speak” sign language with both finger and hand movements andthe rings capture both hand movements and finger gestures. The captureddata can be processed by ring's central controller or are transmitted toan external device, such as a smart phone, which translates the signlanguage to text or speech. This way, sign language can be entered intoa machine or translated into voice by a text to voice program directly.

In some implementations, the rings can be used with other systems toenhance the accuracy of sign language interpretation. For example, asystem may use a camera to capture a video of the hand movements, andthe hand movements are analyzed to determine the words represented bythe hand movements. The data on finger gesture detected by the rings canbe used to increase the accuracy of the video analysis of the signlanguage.

Use Case 5

In some implementations, when the user plays video games, the user canissue commands in the game by applying both finger and hand gestures anduse the ring 100 to detect the gestures. For example, in a combat game,the user can switch weapons by changing the finger gestures, or the usercan reload the gun with new ammunition by bumping the weapon-holdinghand with another hand, mimicking real world gun fighting, the ring'saccelerometer will pick up the bump signal and reload the weapons. Thering 100 can be used in many types of games, including sports games,shooting games, and fighting games.

In some implementations, the ring 100 can be used in virtual realityapplications. For example, the user may wear a pair of goggles that hasbuilt-in displays and motion sensors for providing a virtual realityexperience. The user may use the ring 100 to detect various finger andhand gestures to issue commands, such as move forward or backward, moveup or down, or zoom in or out.

Referring to FIG. 43, in some implementations, the ring 100 includes aflash memory that stores a table 350 having information about a mappingbetween finger gestures, and the contact regions that are triggered.When the user's fingers touch the contact regions (e.g., 190, 192, 196,198), the sensing points of the touch/proximity sensor 116 or 118 detectthe touch/proximity inputs, and sends the sensor data to thetouch/proximity controller 120. The touch/proximity controller 120processes the sensor data to the central microcontroller 118, whichdetermines which of the contact regions (e.g., 190, 192, 196, 198, 200,202) have been triggered. Based on information from the finger gesturemapping table 350, the central microcontroller identifies a fingergesture. The central microcontroller 118 provides a gesture coderepresenting the finger gesture to the radio frequency controller 122,which sends the gesture code to an external controller.

Table 1 show below is an example of the finger gesture mapping table 350that can be used to detect the finger and hand gestures shown in FIGS.6A to 26A.

TABLE 1 Finger/hand gesture code Contact regions that are triggered 1196, 198 2 196 3 198 4 None 5 192, 196 6 192 7 192, 198 8 192, 196, 1989 190, 192, 198 10 190, 192 11 190, 192, 196 12 190, 192, 196, 198 13196, 200 14 190, 192, 196, 200 15 190, 192, 196, 202 16 196, 198, 202 17196, 202 18 190, 192, 196, 198, 230, 232

In some implementations, a variety of finger gestures can be formed bytapping various fingers together in various sequences. The ring 100 isuseful in detecting these gestures and converting them into commands forinteracting with machines. The following examples assume that the ring100 is worn on the middle finger. For example, a gesture input can beassociated with a single tap on the contact region 196. A gesture inputcan be associated with a single tap on the contact region 198. A gestureinput can be associated with a double-tap on the contact region 196. Agesture input can be associated with a double-tap on the contact region198. A gesture input can be associated with a triple-tap on the contactregion 196. A gesture input can be associated with a triple-tap on thecontact region 198. A gesture input can be associated withsimultaneously single-taps on the contact regions 196 and 198. Thisgesture input can be provided by tapping the index, middle, and ringfingers together once. A gesture input can be associated withsimultaneously double-taps on the contact regions 196 and 198. Thisgesture input can be provided by tapping the index, middle, and ringfingers together twice in quick succession. A gesture input can beassociated with simultaneously triple-taps on the contact regions 196and 198. This gesture input can be provided by tapping the index,middle, and ring fingers together three times in quick succession. Thus,a variety of gesture inputs can be provided by varying the number oftaps at the contact regions 196 and 198, either separately orsimultaneously.

For example, a gesture input can be associated with a tap on the contactregion 196 followed by a tap on the contact region 198. This can beachieved by tapping the index and middle fingers together once followedby tapping the middle and ring fingers together once. A gesture inputcan be associated with a tap on the contact region 198 followed by a tapon the contact region 196. This can be achieved by tapping the middleand ring fingers together once followed by tapping the index and middlefingers together once. A gesture input can be associated with three-tapsequence: a tap on the contact region 196 followed by a tap on thecontact region 198 followed by a tap on the contact region 196. Agesture input can be associated with a three-tap sequence: a tap on thecontact region 198 followed by a tap on the contact region 196 followedby a tap on the contact region 198.

A gesture input can be associated with a four-tap sequence in which thecontact regions 196, 198, 196, and 198 are tapped in sequence. A gestureinput can be associated with a four-tap sequence in which the contactregions 198, 196, 198, and 196 are tapped in sequence. A gesture inputcan be associated with a double-tap on the contact region 196 followedby a double-tap on the contact region 198. A gesture input can beassociated with a double-tap on the contact region 198 followed by adouble-tap on the contact region 196. A gesture input can be associatedwith a tap on the contact region 196 followed by a triple-tap on thecontact region 198. A gesture input can be associated with a tap on thecontact region 198 followed by a triple-tap on the contact region 196. Agesture input can be associated with a triple-tap on the contact region196 followed by a single tap on the contact region 198. A gesture inputcan be associated with a triple-tap on the contact region 198 followedby a single-tap on the contact region 196.

A gesture input can be associated with a five-tap sequence in which adouble-tap on the contact region 196 is followed by a triple-tap on thecontact region 198. A gesture input can be associated with a double-tapon the contact region 198 followed by a triple-tap on the contact region196. A gesture input can be associated with a triple-tap on the contactregion 196 followed by a double-tap on the contact region 198. A gestureinput can be associated with a triple-tap on the contact region 198followed by a double-tap on the contact region 196.

A gesture input can be associated with a sequence in which a tap on thecontact region 196 is followed by simultaneous taps on both contactregions 196 and 198. A gesture input can be associated with a sequencein which a tap on the contact region 198 is followed by simultaneoustaps on both contact regions 196 and 198. A gesture input can beassociated with a sequence in which simultaneous taps on the contactregions 196 and 198 are followed by a tap on the contact region 196. Agesture input can be associated with a sequence in which simultaneoustaps on both contact regions 196 and 198 are followed by a tap on thecontact region 198. Thus, a variety of gesture inputs can be provided byvarying the sequence and types of taps at the contact regions 196 and198, either separately or simultaneously.

If each tap (on either contact region 196 or 198, or both) is consideredone step, the user can (with some practice) perform a gesture input thatinvolves four steps within about one second. There are three one-stepgesture inputs: single-tap on contact region 196, single-tap on contactregion 198, and simultaneously single-taps on contact regions 196 and198. There are 3×3=9 two-step gesture inputs. An example of a two-stepgesture input is a double-tap on the contact region 196. Another exampleof a two-step gesture input is a single-tap on the contact region 196followed by a single-tap on the contact region 198. There are 3×3×3=27three-step gesture inputs. An example of a three-step gesture input is asingle-tap on contact region 196 followed by a single-tap on contactregion 198, followed by a single-tap on contact region 196. There are3×3×3×3=81 four-step gesture inputs. An example of a four-step gestureinput is a single-tap on contact region 196 followed by a single-tap oncontact region 198, followed by a single-tap on contact region 196,followed by a single-tap on contact region 198. Another example of afour-step gesture input is a single-tap on contact region 196 followedby a single-tap on contact region 198, followed by a single-tap oncontact region 196, followed by a single-tap on contact region 198.Thus, by using either one-step, two-step, three-step, or four-stepgesture inputs, there can be 3+9+27+81=120 different gesture inputs.

If the number of steps is increased to five, there can be 120+3⁵=363different gesture inputs. If the number of steps is increased to six,there can be 363+3⁶=1092 different gesture inputs. For example, themulti-step gesture input can be used as a passcode. The passcode can beused to unlock, e.g., television channels that were restricted usingparental control settings. Using the ring 100 to provide a multi-stepgesture input as passcode can be more convenient than selectingalphabets or numerals on a television using arrow keys of a TV remotecontrol.

Table 2 below shows examples of gesture inputs that can be generated byusing tap sequences at the contact regions 196 and 198, eitherseparately or simultaneously. For example, the notation “single-tap196→double-tap 198→single-taps 196, 198” means that the gesture input isassociated with a sequence in which a single tap on contact region 196is followed by a double-tap on contact region 198, followed bysimultaneous single taps on contact regions 196 and 198. The notation“double-taps 196, 198→single-taps 196, 198” means that the gesture inputis associated with a sequence in which simultaneous double-taps oncontact regions 196, 198 are followed by simultaneous single-taps oncontact regions 196, 198.

TABLE 2 Gesture code Finger gesture 101 Single-tap 196 102 Single-tap198 103 Single-taps 196, 198 104 Double-tap 196 105 Double-tap 198 106Double-taps 196, 198 107 Single-tap 196 → single-tap 198 108 Single-tap198 → single-tap 196 109 Single-tap 196 → single-taps 196, 198 110Single-tap 198 → single-taps 196, 198 111 Single-taps 196, 198 →single-tap 196 112 Single-taps 196, 198 → single-tap 198 113 Triple-tap196 114 Triple-tap 198 115 Triple-taps 196, 198 116 Single-tap 196 →double-tap 198 117 Double-tap 198 → single-tap 196 118 Single-tap 198 →double-tap 196 119 Double-tap 196 → single-tap 198 120 Single-tap 196 →double-taps 196, 198 121 Single-tap 198 → double-taps 196, 198 122Double-tap 196 → single-taps 196, 198 123 Double-tap 198 → single-taps196, 198 124 Double-tap 196 → double-tap 198 125 Double-tap 198 →double-tap 196 126 Single-tap 196 → triple-taps 196, 198 127 Single-tap198 → triple-taps 196, 198 128 Double-tap 196 → double-taps 196, 198 129Double-tap 196 → triple-taps 196, 198 130 Double-tap 198 → double-taps196, 198 131 Double-tap 198 → triple-taps 196, 198 132 Triple-tap 196 →single-taps 196, 198 133 Triple-tap 196 → double-taps 196, 198 134Triple-tap 196 → triple-taps 196, 198 135 Triple-tap 198 → single-taps196, 198 136 Triple-tap 198 → double-taps 196, 198 137 Triple-tap 198 →triple-taps 196, 198

Table 2 shows a portion of the possible gesture inputs that can beprovided using taps on the contact regions 196 and 198 of the ring 100.In some examples, the contact region 190 (which can be touched by thethumb) can also be used in combination with the contact regions 196 and198, increasing the number of gesture inputs that can be provided usinga sequence of taps.

The gesture inputs shown in Table 2 can be used in combination with thegesture inputs shown in Table 1 and other finger/hand gesture inputsdescribed above.

Example 1

A virtual reality application may allow a user wearing a virtual realitygoggle or helmet to experience traveling to a distant land, such as theAmazon forest, or a distant planet, such as Mars. While the user iswearing the goggle or helmet and viewing scenes in the virtual realityenvironment, it is difficult for the user to type on a keyboard since itis difficult (or not possible) for the user to see the keys on thekeyboard. The user may use a game controller having selection buttonsand arrow buttons. However, the user may need considerable practice inorder to be able to memorize the locations of the various buttons and beable to accurately press the correct buttons on the game controllerwithout actually seeing the buttons. The ring 100 allows the user tointeract with the virtual reality system using intuitive finger and handgestures without the need to see the ring 100.

For example, in the virtual reality application, the “triple-taps 196,198” gesture may be associated with a command that invokes a top-levelmenu, which may provide menu items such as “Start Navigation,” “SaveLocation,” “Change Location,” and “Exit Program.” Invoking the top-levelmenu means that the top-level menu is shown within the virtual realityenvironment. By swiping right or left on trackpad 320, the user canscroll up or down the menu. Upon reaching the desired menu item, theuser may double tap on the trackpad 320 to select the menu item. Theuser may then use the “triple-taps 196, 198” gesture to cancel thetop-level menu and continue to be immersed in the virtual realityenvironment.

When in navigation mode, the user can turn his/her head (and body) tochange direction. The user can use the gesture in FIG. 39A and swipe thetrackpad region 320 to move forward or backward in the virtual realityenvironment. When the user swipes the thumb from left to right and liftsthe thumb from the trackpad region 320 at the end of the swipe movement,the user moves forward in the virtual reality environment, and theamount of movement is proportional to the amount of swipe movement whilethe thumb engages the trackpad region 320. When the user swipes thethumb from right to left and lifts the thumb from the trackpad region320 at the end of the swipe movement, the user moves backward in thevirtual reality environment, and the amount of movement is proportionalto the amount of swipe movement while the thumb engages the trackpadregion 320. When the user swipes the thumb from left to right and keepsthe thumb on the trackpad region 320 at the end of the swipe movement,the user continues to move forward in the virtual reality environmentfor as long as the thumb remains on the trackpad region 320. When theuser swipes the thumb from right to left and keeps the thumb on thetrackpad region 320 at the end of the swipe movement, the user continuesto move backward in the virtual reality environment for as long as thethumb remains on the trackpad region 320.

The user can use the gesture in FIG. 37A and swipe the trackpad region320 to zoom in or out in the virtual reality environment. The effect of“zooming in” is similar to using a telephoto lens, which causes objectsto be magnified and the field of view to be narrower. The effect of“zooming out” is similar to using a wide angle lens, which causesobjects to reduce in size and the field of view to be wider. When theuser swipes the thumb from left to right and lifts the thumb from thetrackpad region 320 at the end of the swipe movement, the user zooms inwithin the virtual reality environment, and the amount of zooming isproportional to the amount of swipe movement while the thumb engages thetrackpad region 320. When the user swipes the thumb from right to leftand lifts the thumb from the trackpad region 320 at the end of the swipemovement, the user zooms out within the virtual reality environment, andthe amount of zooming out is proportional to the amount of swipemovement while the thumb engages the trackpad region 320. When the userswipes the thumb from left to right and keeps the thumb on the trackpadregion 320 at the end of the swipe movement, the user continues to zoomin within the virtual reality environment for as long as the thumbremains on the trackpad region 320. When the user swipes the thumb fromright to left and keeps the thumb on the trackpad region 320 at the endof the swipe movement, the user continues to zoom out in the virtualreality environment for as long as the thumb remains on the trackpadregion 320.

Example 2

The user wears a virtual reality goggle or helmet and sits on a chair toenjoy a virtual reality tour of a distant land. When the user turnshis/her head left, right, up, or down, he/she can see to the left,right, up, or down within the virtual reality environment. However, theuser may also wish to be able to navigate the virtual realityenvironment without turning his/her head. For example, the user may siton a couch and would like to see the scene behind him in the virtualreality environment without actually turning his/her head to lookbackwards. The ring 100 can be used to provide navigation commands toallow the user to navigate in the virtual reality environment usingsimple finger and hand movements.

For example, the user uses “double-tap 196” gesture to indicate thestart of using finger hand gestures for navigation. The following areexamples of finger/hand gestures for turning left or right, movingposition left or right, moving position forward or backward, tiltinghead up or down, and position moving up or down. These are merelyexamples; the user can assign any finger/hand gesture to any commandaccording to his/her preferences.

Referring to FIG. 44A, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 7A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 2 in Table 1, in which the contact region 196 is triggered)while moving the hand left or right to indicate rotating left or right,respectively, in the virtual reality environment. The accelerometers inthe ring 100 can detect the left or right movements.

Referring to FIG. 44B, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 8A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 3 in Table 1, in which the contact region 198 is triggered)while moving the hand left or right to indicate moving left or right,respectively, in the virtual reality environment.

Referring to FIG. 44C, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 6A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 1 in Table 1, in which the contact regions 196, 198 aretriggered) while moving the hand left or right to indicate movingbackwards or forwards, respectively, in the virtual reality environment.

Referring to FIG. 44D, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 7A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 2 in Table 1, in which the contact region 196 is triggered)while moving the hand up or down to indicate tilting the head up ordown, respectively, in the virtual reality environment. Theaccelerometers in the ring 100 can detect the up or down movements.

Referring to FIG. 44E, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 8A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 3 in Table 1, in which the contact region 198 is triggered)while moving the hand up or down to indicate moving up or down,respectively, in the virtual reality environment.

Referring to FIG. 44F, the user positions the hand with the palm facingdown, and uses the gesture in FIG. 6A (corresponding to finger/handgesture code 1 in Table 1, in which the contact regions 196 and 198 aretriggered) while moving the hand up or down to indicate zooming out orin, respectively, in the virtual reality environment.

In the examples of FIGS. 44A to 44F, the user navigates in the virtualreality environment by simply waving the hand left, right, up, or down,with reduced movement in the forearm. This causes less fatigue in thehand, compared to using hand gestures that require more movement of theforearm. The left or right hand movement can have three differentfunctions, depending on whether the contact region 196 or 198, or both,are contacted while making the hand movements. Similarly, the up anddown movement can have three different functions, depending on whetherthe contact region 196 or 198, or both, are contacted while making thehand movements.

The ring 100 enables the user to use intuitive finger and hand gesturesto control movements in the virtual reality environment. The exampleabove requires the use of only one ring 100. If multiple rings are used,on the same hand or both hands, additional finger and hand gestures canbe recognized and be associated with additional commands.

Example 3

The user wears a virtual reality goggle or helmet and plays a fighterjet combat game. The user can use finger and hand gestures to controlboth the direction of flight and fire weapons. For example, the useruses the finger/hand gesture in FIG. 6A with the palm facing down, anduses the “triple-taps 196, 198” gesture to indicate calibration. Thesensors in the ring 100 detect the position of the ring, and associatethat position as controlling the jet to maintain a level and straightflight direction. The user uses the finger/hand gesture in FIG. 6A andmoves the hand left or right to control the heading of the jet in thevirtual reality environment. The user uses the finger/hand gesture inFIG. 6A and moves the hand up or down to cause the jet to pitch up ordown, respectively, in the virtual reality environment. The user tiltsthe hand by using a wrist movement to rotate the hand clockwise orcounterclockwise (as seem in a direction from the wrist to thefingertip) to cause the jet to bank right or left in the virtual realityenvironment. The user uses the gesture in FIG. 39A and swipes on thetrackpad region 320 left or right to decrease or increase, respectively,the throttle.

While controlling the roll, pitch, and yaw angles of the jet using handmovements, the user can use the index finger to tap on the contactregion 196 to fire machine guns, or use the ring finger to tap thecontact region 198 to fire missiles. The user taps the contact region196 by separating the index and middle fingers briefly, then quicklypressing the index and middle fingers together. To repeatedly firemachine guns, the user repeatedly separating the index and middlefingers and then pressing the fingers together. The user taps thecontact region 198 by separating the middle and ring fingers briefly,then quickly pressing the middle and ring fingers together.

The ring 100 enables the user to use intuitive finger and hand gesturesto control movements of the jet and fire weapons in the virtual realitygame. The example above requires the use of only one ring 100. Ifmultiple rings are used, on the same hand or both hands, additionalfinger and hand gestures can be recognized and be associated withadditional commands.

Example 4

For example, the ring 100 can be worn by a pianist for controllingflipping of pages of score sheets shown on a display. For example, adouble-tap on the contact region 196 may indicate “flip to next page,”and a double-tap on the contact region 198 may indicate “flip toprevious page.” As another example, a double-tap on the contact region196 may indicate “flip to next page,” and a triple-tap on the contactregion 196 may indicate “flip to previous page.” The ring 100 can bemade light-weight by reducing the size of the battery and using akinetic motion charger. As the pianist plays the piano, the fingerwearing the ring is constantly moving and charging the battery.

Example 5

In some implementations, each of the contact regions 196 and 198functions as a trackpad that can detect swiping movements. The user canbrush the index finger up or down across the contact region 196, similarto moving a fingertip across a trackpad. The user can brush the ringfinger up or down across the contact region 198, similar to moving afingertip across a trackpad. For example, the ring 100 can be used tocontrol selection of menu items that are shown on a wearablehead-mounted display (e.g., a small screen of a pair of smarteyeglasses). The “triple-taps 196, 198” gesture can be used to invoke amenu bar. Brushing the ring finger up or down against the contact region198 causes an active item on the menu bar to shift right or left,respectively. Tapping the index finger on the contact region 196 causesa drop-down menu to appear. Brushing the index finger up or down againstthe contact region 196 causes an active item on the menu to shift up ordown, respectively, in the drop-down menu. Double-tapping the indexfinger on the contact region 196 selects a menu item.

Example 6

In some implementations, the user wears a smart goggle or helmet havinga built-in display and video camera for implementing a virtual realityenvironment. Several documents are shown floating in front of the userin the virtual reality environment. The user moves one of the documentsby grabbing and moving the document. The video camera of the smartgoggle or helmet captures a video of the user's hand, and the smartgoggle or helmet operating system performs video analysis to determinewhich document the user intends to grab, and where the user wants toplace the document. The ring 100 can assist the smart goggle or helmetoperating system in accurately detect the grabbing and moving motion.

For example, referring to FIG. 45A, the grabbing motion starts with theindex, middle, ring, and little fingers contacting each other and curvedinward, and the tip of the thumb contacts the tip of the index finger.This is indicated by (1) in the figure. The hand then moves forward, andthe fingers are opened. This is indicated by (2) in the figure. As thehand reaches the document, the fingers come together again such that theindex, middle, ring, and little fingers contact each other and curveinward, and the tip of the thumb contacts the tip of the index finger.This is indicated by (3) in the figure. The ring 100 can detect thegrabbing movement described above by detecting contacts at the regions196 and 198 initially, detecting no contacts at the regions 196 and 198and detecting forward movements using accelerometers, and then detectingstopping of the forward movement and detecting contacts at the regions196 and 198 again.

Referring to FIG. 45B, once a document is “grabbed” (as indicated by (4)in the figure), the user can move the hand to a new position whilemaintaining the hand gesture in which both contact regions 196 and 198are triggered. When the document reaches its destination location, theuser can “release” the document by opening the hand and spreading outthe fingers so that the contact regions 196 and 198 are not triggered.

Referring to FIG. 46, a process 370 for identifying finger and handgestures is provided. The process 370 includes wearing a ring on a firstfinger (372), in which the ring has a first contact region facing asecond finger adjacent to the first finger, and a second contact regionfacing a third finger adjacent to the first finger. The first contactregion is configured to detect a touch or proximity input from thesecond finger, and the second contact region is configured to detect atouch or proximity input from the third finger. Each of the first andsecond contact regions has one or more touch or proximity sensors.

For example, the ring can be the ring 100 of FIGS. 1 to 45B. The firstcontact region can be the contact region 196, and the second contactregion can be the contact region 198.

The process 370 includes moving the first, second, and third fingersrelative to each other (374), detecting a touch or proximity input atthe first contact region but not at the second contact region inresponse to a first finger and hand gesture (376), detecting a touch orproximity input at the second contact region but not at the firstcontact region in response to a second finger and hand gesture (378),and detecting touch or proximity inputs at both the first and secondcontact regions in response to a third finger and hand gesture (380).

For example, the first, second, and third fingers can be the middle,index, and ring fingers, respectively. The first finger and hand gesturecan be the gesture shown in FIG. 7A, the second finger and hand gesturecan be the gesture shown in FIG. 8A, and the third finger and handgesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 6A.

For example, the first, second, and third fingers can be the index,thumb, and middle fingers, respectively. The first finger and handgesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 28C, the second finger and handgesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 28A, and the third finger andhand gesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 28B.

For example, the first, second, and third fingers can be the ring,middle, and little fingers, respectively. The first finger and handgesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 27A, the second finger and handgesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 27D, and the third finger andhand gesture can be the gesture shown in FIG. 27C.

Referring to FIG. 47, a process 390 for identifying finger and handgestures is provided. The process 390 includes wearing a ring on afinger (392). The ring has a first contact region at an edge of the ringto detect a touch or proximity input from a portion of the palm, and thecontact region has one or more touch or proximity sensors. For example,the ring can be the ring 100 of FIGS. 1 to 45B. The first contact regioncan be the contact region 192.

The process 390 includes moving the finger relative to the palm (394),detecting a touch or proximity input at the contact region in responseto a first finger and hand gesture (396), and detecting no touch orproximity input at the contact region in response to a second finger andhand gesture (398).

For example, the finger can be the middle finger, the first finger andhand gesture can be the gesture of FIG. 10A, 11A, 12A, 13A, 14A, 15A,16A, or 17A, and the second finger and hand gesture can be the gestureof FIG. 6A, 7A, 8A, or 9A.

Referring to FIG. 48, a process 400 for identifying finger and handgestures is provided. The process 400 includes wearing a ring on afinger (402). The ring has at least a first contact region and a secondcontact region, each contact region having one or more touch orproximity sensors.

For example, the ring can be the ring 100 of FIGS. 1 to 45B. The firstand second contact regions can be any two of the contact regions 190,192, 196, 198, 230, 232, and 320.

The process 400 includes detecting one or more touch or proximity inputsat one or more of the first and second contact regions in response to afinger and hand gesture (404). For example, The finger and hand gesturecan be any of the gestures shown in FIGS. 6A to 30C and 37A to 42.

Referring to FIG. 49, a process 410 for controlling devices is provided.The process 410 includes identify a finger and hand gesture based ontouch or proximity inputs detected by two or more touch or proximitysensors on a ring worn on a first finger (412). The process 410 includesdetecting finger and/or hand movements (414), selecting one amongseveral devices based on the finger and hand gesture (416), andcontrolling the selected device based on the finger and/or handmovements (418).

For example, the ring can be the ring 100 of FIGS. 1 to 45B. Forexample, the finger and hand gesture can be any gesture shown in FIG.42, the finger and/or hand movements can be any finger and/or handmovements shown in FIGS. 35 and 36, and the devices can be any deviceshown in FIG. 42.

For example, the first finger and hand gesture can be a gesture in whicha second finger contacts the ring and a third finger does not contactthe ring. In some examples, the first, second, and third finger are themiddle, index, and ring finger, respectively. In some examples, thefirst, second, and third finger are the middle, ring, and index finger,respectively. In some examples, the first, second, and third finger arethe index finger, the thumb, and the middle finger, respectively. Insome examples, the first, second, and third finger are the index finger,middle finger, and thumb, respectively. In some examples, the first,second, and third finger are the ring, middle, and little finger,respectively. In some examples, the first, second, and third finger arethe ring, little, and middle finger, respectively.

For example, the second finger and hand gesture can be a gesture inwhich a second finger and a third finger both contact the ring. In someexamples, the first, second, and third finger are the middle, index, andring finger, respectively. In some examples, the first, second, andthird finger are the index finger, the thumb, and the middle finger,respectively. In some examples, the first, second, and third fingers arering, middle, and little finger, respectively.

For example, the first device can be a television, an audio device, alight device, a game console, a computer, a smart device having a dataprocessor or controller, an augmented reality device, or a virtualreality device.

For example, a first particular finger gesture corresponding to a lockcommand can be detected, and a link between the selected device and thering is maintained such that subsequence finger and/or hand movementsare used to control the selected device until a second particular fingergesture corresponding to an unlock command is detected.

Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. Forexample, each of the contact regions 190, 192, 194, 196, 198, 200, and202 can have a single touch/proximity sensor that is sensitive to touchor proximity inputs. When the ring 100 is worn on a finger, the user canbend the finger so that a portion of the finger triggers the contactregion 194. The ring 100 can detect various finger and hand gestures inwhich the contact region 194 is either triggered or not triggered, incombination with the trigger or non-trigger of the other contactregions. In some examples, the entire outer ring surface is a singlecapacitive touch sensitive surface. The ring can have touch/proximitysensors with different sensitivities. For example, when the ring is wornon the middle finger, the ring may be configured to detect touch inputsfrom the index and ring fingers, touch inputs from a portion of thepalm, and swipe inputs from the thumb. The contact regions 192, 196, and198 can have lower density of sensor points than the contact regions 190and 194, which need a higher density of sensor points to detect swipemovements across the surface. A smart device can be any device that hasa data processor or a controller that can receive data and process data.Examples of smart devices include smart phones, smart televisions, smartrefrigerators, smart ovens, smart smoke detectors, smart thermostats,but are not limited to these.

The ring 100 can be used to control an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone)or a robot. The ring 100 itself includes a battery 154. In someexamples, a second ring that includes a second battery can be used. Theuser can wear the second ring adjacent to the first ring that has touchor proximity sensors, and electrodes between the first and second ringsallow current to flow from the second ring to the first ring. Becausethe ring batteries are small, the user can carry a number of fresh ringbatteries in one pocket, and when the ring batteries run out of power,carry the depleted ring batteries in another pocket. Referring to FIG.46, a ring battery charging station 360 can have a base 362 and a pole364, and ring batteries 366 a, 366 b, 366 c can be stacked up around thepole 364. Electrodes on the lower edge of the ring battery 366 acontacts the electrodes on the base 362 so that the ring battery 366 acan receive a charging current from the base 362. Electrodes on thelower edge of the ring battery 366 b contacts electrodes on the upperedge of the ring battery 366 a, and electrodes on the lower edge of thering battery 366 c contacts electrodes on the upper edge of the ringbattery 366 b, thus allowing the charging current to also charge thering batteries 366 b and 366 c.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a ring comprising: twoor more touch and/or proximity sensors, each touch and/or proximitysensor configured to detect touch and/or proximity inputs; a dataprocessor to process sensed data from the touch and/or proximitysensors; a storage storing information about a mapping between fingergestures and sets of keys, each finger gesture corresponds to aparticular touch or proximity input, or a particular combination oftouch and/or proximity inputs, and different finger gestures areassociated with different sets of keys; and a communication unit towirelessly transmit information about the sensed data or informationderived from the sensed data to a receiver; wherein the ring isconfigured to be worn on a finger, the ring having a first contactregion positioned at an edge of the ring configured to detect a touch orproximity input from a portion of the palm or a portion of the fingerwhen the finger bends; wherein the ring is configured to detect a touchor proximity input at the first contact region in response to a firstfinger and hand gesture, wherein when the first contact region comprisesa touch sensor, the touch sensor contacts the palm or the portion of thefinger, and when the first contact region comprises a proximity sensor,a distance between the proximity sensor and the palm or the portion ofthe finger is less than a predefined distance, and wherein the ring isconfigured to detect no touch or proximity input at the first contactregion in response to a second finger and hand gesture, wherein when thefirst contact region comprises a touch sensor, the touch sensor does notcontact the palm or the portion of the finger, and when the firstcontact region comprises a proximity sensor, a distance between theproximity sensor and the palm or the portion of the finger is largerthan the predefined distance.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which thetouch and/or proximity sensor comprises a touch sensor that detects atouch input when a finger contacts the sensor, a proximity sensor thatdetects a proximity input when a distance between a finger and thesensor is less than a threshold, or a touch and proximity sensor thatdetects touch inputs and proximity inputs.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1in which the information about the sensed data comprises raw sensordata.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the data processor isconfigured to identify which one or more touch and/or proximity sensorsis or are triggered, and the information derived from the sensed datacomprises information indicating which one or more touch and/orproximity sensors is or are triggered.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 inwhich the data processor is configured to identify a finger gesturebased on the sensed data from the touch and/or proximity sensors, andthe information derived from the sensed data comprises informationrepresenting the identified finger gesture.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1in which the data processor is configured to identify a command based onthe sensed data from the touch and/or proximity sensors, and informationderived from the sensed data comprises information representing thecommand.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the touch and/or proximitysensor comprises at least one of a capacitance touch and/or proximitysensor, a resistive touch sensor, an infrared proximity sensor, anambient light sensor, an inductive proximity sensor, or a laser rangesensor.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the ring includes at leastone of an inertial measurement sensor, an accelerometer, a gyrometer, ora magnetometer to detect hand movements.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 inwhich the touch and/or proximity sensor is configured to detect at leastone of a presence of an object in a proximity of the sensor, a distancebetween the sensor and an object in a proximity of the sensor, or acontact between the sensor and an object.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1in which the touch and/or proximity sensors are configured to detectapproximate locations of one or more fingers relative to the ring, andthe data processor is configured to determine a finger gesture based onthe detected approximate locations of the one or more fingers.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1 in which the ring comprises a storage storinginformation about a mapping between devices and touch and/or proximityinput or inputs.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 in which in which uponreceiving a particular touch or proximity input, or a particularcombination of touch and/or proximity inputs, the ring is configured togenerate signals for interacting with the device associated with theparticular touch or proximity input, or the particular combination oftouch and/or proximity inputs.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11 in whichthe each of the touch or proximity input, or combination of touch and/orproximity inputs is associated with at least one of a television, anaudio device, a light device, a game console, an augmented realitydevice, or a virtual reality device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1,comprising moving a hand to draw a character in the air and maintaininga finger gesture while drawing in the air, and using the ring toidentify the character from the set of keys associated with the fingergesture.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the set of keys compriseat least one of a set of alphabet keys, a set of numeric keys, a set ofsymbol keys, or a set of emoticon keys.
 16. An apparatus comprising: aring comprising: two or more contact regions, each contact regioncomprising one or more touch and/or proximity sensors configured todetect touch and/or proximity inputs; a data processor to process senseddata from the contact regions; a storage storing information about amapping between devices and touch and/or proximity input or inputs,including a first mapping between a first device and a first finger andhand gesture and a second mapping between a second device and a secondfinger and hand gesture; and a communication unit to wirelessly transmitinformation about the sensed data or information derived from the senseddata to a receiver; wherein the ring is configured to be worn on afinger, the ring having a first contact region positioned at an edge ofthe ring configured to detect a touch or proximity input from a portionof the palm or a portion of the finger when the finger bends; whereinthe ring is configured to detect a touch or proximity input at the firstcontact region in response to a first finger and hand gesture, whereinwhen the first contact region comprises a touch sensor, the touch sensorcontacts the palm or the portion of the finger, and when the firstcontact region comprises a proximity sensor, a distance between theproximity sensor and the palm or the portion of the finger is less thana predefined distance, and wherein the ring is configured to detect notouch or proximity input at the first contact region in response to asecond finger and hand gesture, wherein when the first contact regioncomprises a touch sensor, the touch sensor does not contact the palm orthe portion of the finger, and when the first contact region comprises aproximity sensor, a distance between the proximity sensor and the palmor the portion of the finger is larger than the predefined distance. 17.The apparatus of claim 16 in which the touch and/or proximity sensorcomprises a touch sensor that detects a touch input when a fingercontacts the sensor, a proximity sensor that detects a proximity inputwhen a distance between a finger and the sensor is less than athreshold, or a touch and proximity sensor that detects touch inputs andproximity inputs.
 18. The apparatus of claim 16 in which at least one ofthe contact regions comprises a trackpad that detects movements crossthe surface of the contact region.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18 inwhich the trackpad is configured to detect a first swipe movement alonga first direction.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the trackpadis configured to detect a second swipe movement along a second directionthat is opposite the first direction.
 21. The apparatus of claim 19 inwhich the trackpad is configured to detect a second swipe movement alonga second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction.
 22. Theapparatus of claim 21 in which the trackpad is configured to detect athird swipe movement along a third direction that is opposite the seconddirection.
 23. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the first swipemovement comprises a clockwise circular movement.
 24. The apparatus ofclaim 19 in which the first swipe movement comprises a linear movementalong a direction parallel to a direction in which the finger isextended.
 25. The apparatus of claim 19 in which the first swipemovement comprises a linear movement along a direction perpendicular toa direction in which the finger is extended.
 26. The apparatus of claim16 in which upon receiving a particular touch or proximity input, or aparticular combination of touch and/or proximity inputs, the ring isconfigured to generate signals for interacting with the deviceassociated with the particular touch or proximity input, or theparticular combination of touch and/or proximity inputs.
 27. Theapparatus of claim 16 in which the each of the touch or proximity input,or combination of touch and/or proximity inputs is associated with atleast one of a television, an audio device, a light device, a gameconsole, a computer, a smart device, an augmented reality device, or avirtual reality device.
 28. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the ringincludes at least one of an inertial measurement sensor, anaccelerometer, a gyrometer, or a magnetometer to detect hand movements.29. The apparatus of claim 16 in which the data processor is configuredto receive signals from the touch and/or proximity sensors and identifya finger gesture based on the received signals.
 30. The apparatus ofclaim 16 in which the ring comprises a storage storing information abouta mapping between finger gestures and sets of keys, each finger gesturecorresponds to a particular touch or proximity input, or a particularcombination of touch and/or proximity inputs, and different fingergestures are associated with different sets of keys.
 31. The apparatusof claim 30, comprising moving a hand to draw a character in the air andmaintaining a finger gesture while drawing in the air, and using thering to identify the character from the set of keys associated with thefinger gesture.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31 in which the set of keyscomprise at least one of a set of alphabet keys, a set of numeric keys,a set of symbol keys, or a set of emoticon keys.
 33. The apparatus ofclaim 16 in which the ring comprises an inner ring surface and an outerring surface, the entire outer ring surface is a touch sensitivesurface, and the two or more contact regions are regions of the outerring touch sensitive surface.
 34. A system comprising: a ringcomprising: two or more touch and/or proximity sensors, each sensor todetect touch and/or proximity inputs; and a communication unit towirelessly transmit signals representing the outputs from the sensors ordata derived from the outputs from the sensors; wherein the ring isconfigured to be worn on a finger, the ring having a first contactregion positioned at an edge of the ring configured to detect a touch orproximity input from a portion of the palm or a portion of the fingerwhen the finger bends; wherein the ring is configured to detect a touchor proximity input at the first contact region in response to a firstfinger and hand gesture, wherein when the first contact region comprisesa touch sensor, the touch sensor contacts the palm or the portion of thefinger, and when the first contact region comprises a proximity sensor,a distance between the proximity sensor and the palm or the portion ofthe finger is less than a predefined distance, and wherein the ring isconfigured to detect no touch or proximity input at the first contactregion in response to a second finger and hand gesture, wherein when thefirst contact region comprises a touch sensor, the touch sensor does notcontact the palm or the portion of the finger, and when the firstcontact region comprises a proximity sensor, a distance between theproximity sensor and the palm or the portion of the finger is largerthan the predefined distance; and a controller to receive the signalsfrom the ring and identify a finger gesture based on the receivedsignals, in which the controller comprises a storage storing informationabout a mapping between finger gestures and devices, in which differentfinger gestures are associated with different devices.
 35. The system ofclaim 34 in which the controller is part of at least one of atelevision, an audio device, a light device, a game console, a computer,a smart device, an augmented reality device, or a virtual realitydevice.
 36. A system comprising: a ring comprising: two or more touchand/or proximity sensors, each touch and/or proximity sensor configuredto detect touch and/or proximity inputs; a data processor to processsensed data from the touch and/or proximity sensors; a storage storinginformation about a mapping between finger gestures and sets of keys, inwhich each finger gesture corresponds to a particular touch or proximityinput, or a particular combination of touch and/or proximity inputs,different finger gestures are associated with different sets of keys, afirst finger gesture is associated with a first set of keys, a secondfinger gesture is associated with a second set of keys, a first handmovement drawing in the air and maintaining the first finger gesturewhile drawing in the air is associated with a first character in thefirst set of keys, and the first hand movement drawing in the air andmaintaining the second finger gesture while drawing in the air isassociated with a second character in the second set of keys; and acommunication unit to wirelessly transmit information about the senseddata or information derived from the sensed data to a receiver.
 37. Thesystem of claim 36 in which (i) the first set of keys comprise a set ofalphabet keys, the second set of keys comprise a set of numeric keys,(ii) the first set of keys comprise a set of alphabet keys, the secondset of keys comprise a set of symbol keys, (iii) the first set of keyscomprise a set of alphabet keys, the second set of keys comprise a setof emoticon keys, (iv) the first set of keys comprise a set of numerickeys, the second set of keys comprise a set of symbol keys, (v) thefirst set of keys comprise a set of numeric keys, the second set of keyscomprise, or (vi) the first set of keys comprise a set of symbol keys,the second set of keys comprise a set of emoticon keys.
 38. The systemof claim 36 in which a first hand movement drawing in the air a shape ofa character ‘O’ and maintaining the first finger gesture while drawingin the air is associated with a capital letter ‘O’ or a small letter‘o’, and the first hand movement drawing in the air the shape of thecharacter ‘O’ and maintaining the second finger gesture while drawing inthe air is associated with a number ‘0’.
 39. The system of claim 36 inwhich a third finger gesture is associated with a third set of keys, afirst hand movement drawing in the air a shape of a character ‘O’ andmaintaining the first finger gesture while drawing in the air isassociated with a capital letter ‘O’, the first hand movement drawing inthe air the shape of the character ‘O’ and maintaining the second fingergesture while drawing in the air is associated with a small letter ‘o’,and the first hand movement drawing in the air the shape of thecharacter ‘O’ and maintaining the third finger gesture while drawing inthe air is associated with a number ‘0’.